Click
here to go to theBlackboard
login page.
The OC webmaster will enroll you in this course on
Blackboard. Once that is done, you will only need to login each time, click
"Courses", then "Government 2301", and
you will be in my course for test-taking, assignments, announcements,
etc.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. To present the basic concepts of politics that will better enable you, the
student, to understand American and Texas government and politics.

2. To motivate you, the student, to take an interest in and understand issues
and problems facing the United States, Texas, and Odessa or city which you live
in.

3. To stimulate you, the student, to exercise your privileges and obligations
as a U.S. citizen, through participation in local, state, and national political
activities.

DROP POLICY

You are responsible for dropping this class if you quit doing the work. The
instructor will not do so . Failure to drop results in an F.

DISCUSSION GROUPS

We
will have four discussion group topics in this course. The discussions
are not 'at will' but are considered an integral part of your learning.
The selected topics will be posted online with specific instructions
and due date. You will receive a grade for your discussion and responses
to the other students' comments. Please see the discussion
topics for detailed instructions. To enter into the
discussion area you will go to Blackboard.
You
must participate in all four discussion topics. At
the end of the discussion period, you must post your final "Summary"
of the discussion topic on Blackboard. Click on the "Communication"
button and then on the "Discussion Board" and then on "Send
Files" to post all assignments.Please follow the instructions as given. If you
have any questions, please contact your instructor.

EXAMINATIONS

There will be four exams, each worth 100 points. They will consist entirely of
objective questions. A
200 point final exam will be given all objective questions. You must
schedule the final exam to be taken on the assigned day in either the OC Testing
Center or a secure testing facility. Arrangement must be approved by the
instructor.

I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO
DETERMINE IF YOU HAVE A VALID REASON FOR MISSING AN EXAM. YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE CHANCE TO TAKE A
MAKE-UP FOR AN INVALID REASON.

MAKE-UP EXAMS AND QUIZZES

If you are unable to take a test during the assigned time period, you need to
contact the instructor ASAP. Failure to do this will result in a
loss of a letter grade on the exam. Otherwise,
there are no make-ups. I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO DECIDE IF YOUR REASON FOR MISSING AN EXAM
IS INVALID AND IF I SUSPECT IT IS, YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE CHANCE TO TAKE A
MAKE-UP.

DISCUSSIONS

Four discussion topics will be posted and mandatory
for all students to participate in as part of the discussion grade.
Each question will be worth up to 50 (fifty) points. Discussion
topics will be posted for a total of two weeks and your responses
are due by 1 p.m. on Friday of the
second week.

INTERNET
ASSIGNMENTS

Four
Internet assignments will be required. Each will be worth a total of
50 (fifty) points. Two of the mandatory
Internet assignments are listed in Unit 6, one on political parties
and the second on liberalism/conservatism. The other two Internet
assignments can be selected from any of the others assignments
listed under web activities.Your
internet assignment will be due by 1 p.m. on Friday of the second
week on that unit.

UNIT OBJECTIVE SHEETS

Unit objective sheets are included in the lecture
notes. They will
serve both as guide to what the instructor considers
important from the texts, lecture notes, research, and discussions, and what the student is expected to know at the
completion of the unit. They will also serve as a good study guide for the exams
because the exam questions will be drawn from these objective sheets.

PROJECTS

Additional projects (research papers, book reports, etc.) beyond those
assigned are optional. Topics or book
must receive instructor approval. A written description must be submitted
by the seventh week of class ( ). Projects are due one week before the
last scheduled class A "Project Handout" explaining specific rules to follow and describing
how the project will be graded will be posted on line. A project does not and cannot be substituted for
a test grade. The project grade will be counted as an additional grade to be
averaged in with all other grades.

GRADING POLICY

The final course grade will be determined on a percentage basis:

90-100% = 900 points = A

Exam #1 100 points = 10% of course grade

80-89% = 800 points = B

Exam #2 100 points = 10% of course grade

70-79% = 700 points = C

Exam #3 100 points = 10% of course grade

60-69% = 600 points = D

Exam #4 100 points = 10% of course grade

Below 600 points or 60% = F

Discussion
Participation = 200 points = 20% of course grade

Four
Internet Assignments = 200 points = 20% of course grade

Final 200 points = 20% of course grade

BONUS POINTS

Ten points for a current voters
card will be given and added to
your total point count before the course grade is averaged.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Online exams and papers are basically open book. However, I would
prefer that you attempt to complete them without using the text or lecture
notes. Exam taking should be done alone and not a collaborative effort
performed with other students in the class or who have previously taken the
class. Cheating or plagiarism will result in the grade of 0. Remember,
on your essays and papers, cite your sources and URL sites.

PURPOSE:
To encourage personal involvement in a
candidate’s campaign, the election, issue, or interest group
activities.

100 points can be used to replace the
lowest test grade.

20 hours of work and written report

A
- 90-100 points.

17 hours of work and written report

B
- 80-89 points.

14 hours of work and written report

C
- 70-79 points.

11 hours of work and written report

D
- 60-69 points.

OPTION 1:
Work in a candidate’s or party’s
campaign and hand in a 2-3 page-typewritten report of the work done,
knowledge learned, and conclusions drawn.

OPTION 2:
Work for an interest group and contribute your
time and efforts to their cause and activities - letter writing,
picketing, lobbying, petition drives, etc. (A list of interest groups -
including local ones - are posted outside my office, DH 209.) Hand in a 2-3 page-typewritten report of the work done,
knowledge learned, and conclusions drawn.

Arrangements
must be made in advance,
with prior instructor approval.

As to
which option is chosen and what campaign or interest group is being worked
with and the instructor must be able to verify hours worked, for whom, and
the nature of the work. A letter from the
candidate or the organization you worked for must be mailed to the
instructor for verification of your work.

All
Assignments are to be posted in Digital Drop Box or sent to me by
email as an attachment

All
assignments must be written in Microsoft Word or Word Perfect.

When
posting an assignment in the Digital Drop Box (or emailing it to me as an
attachment in Microsoft Word or Word Perfect), please include the
following
information in the body or text of your assignment and use the following
format:

How well you do in college is connected, at least in part, to
how well you can adjust to the various expectations attached to your new role as
a college student. Teachers will judge you by how well or poorly you conform to
their expectations of a successful student. These guidelines do not represent
those of all instructors, but it pays you to know, in general, what
behaviors define a good student. Obviously, I may have
slightly different expectations that you should ask about if they are not made
clear to you early in the semester. What follows is a general description of what
I expect from my students:

Good
students behave in ways that enhance the learning
experience for everyone in the class.

Good
students are engaged in the class, often actively
participating in discussion.

They use appropriate language in
discussion: no profanity or
foul language.

Good students practice personal and academic
integrity.

They do not cheat
on tests or other assignments.

They do not plagiarize on assignments: hand in the work
of others as their own.

They do not lie or make
excuses.

They complete assignments, projects, papers, and exams
in a timely manner.

Good students respect the dignity
and opinions of all people.

They do not compromise or demean the dignity of others
by taunting, teasing, insulting, sexually harassing or discriminating.

They recognize it is their responsibility to
communicate any problems or concerns to the appropriate Odessa college
personnel, such as instructors, counselors, and coaches. This includes
extended absences, health problems, job conflicts, emergencies,
incarcerations, family problems, and documented learning disabilities.

They follow appropriate procedures if they a grievance.
After discussing the problem with the instructor, coach, or counselor first,
they proceed in a hierarchical order as diagramed below, following the steps
outlined in the Student Right to Due Process, available in full text from
the office of the Vice-President for Student Life.